


Let's Start Easy

by prettyfaroutman



Series: Lovely Little Ficlets 31 Day Challenge [8]
Category: Nothing Much to Do
Genre: Alcohol, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-08
Updated: 2015-01-08
Packaged: 2018-03-06 17:30:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3142757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettyfaroutman/pseuds/prettyfaroutman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A prequel of sorts to OdeToPedrazar's "Never Have I Ever" fic on Tumblr :D</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let's Start Easy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OdeToPedrazar (MyPrivateLaughter)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyPrivateLaughter/gifts).



“Okay! Everyone’s got their drinks ready?” Meg asked, wiggling with eagerness. She had commandeered a cushion on the floor next to the coffee table. 

“Wait!” Hero said, topping up her plastic cup with orange juice. “I’m probably not going to be drinking much, but I want to be ready just in case.”

Balthazar chuckled. He loved Hero’s can-do attitude when it came to partying. She fully embraced her goody-two-shoes-ness but still had a good time and didn’t make anyone else feel like she was judging them. He wondered idly what he could suggest that might get her to drink, and decided that making her drink at least once would be his mission for the game.

“What are you drinking, Balth?” Ursula asked, sidling up to sit next to him.

“Tequila, I think? Meg made it for me.” He sniffed it hesitantly, which was more than enough to get a hit of alcohol directly in his nostrils.

“Oh yes,” Meg confirmed. “Balthy told me he’s in the mood to party hearty tonight, so I made him a special concoction.”

“Are you, now?” Ursula cocked an eyebrow at him. “Any special reason?”

“Nah. Just felt like letting go, a bit. Celebrating after my gig yesterday.” He smiled, leaving out the part where he’d talked on the phone with Pedro for two hours after he got home from the gig.

“Right, let’s get this show on the road!” Meg cast a beatific smile at the participants of the game, glancing around the circle slowly as if daring everyone to come out with their most wicked suggestions. “Let’s start easy, shall we? Never Have I Ever…kissed someone’s neck.”

“Meg, I have seen you do that to Robbie on numerous occasions,” Ursula pointed out.

“I’m drinking, aren’t I? Besides, if I stick to stuff I’ve never done I won’t be able to make the rest of you drink, and that’s no fun. As the resident Experienced Adult at this party, I exempt myself from saying things I’ve actually never done.”

“Fine,” Ursula said, a wry smile on her face. She took a sip of her beer, and Balthazar took a generous sip of his mystery drink, which actually was quite tasty. Hero blushed and looked away.

“Really, sweetie? You haven’t even done that?” Meg asked, incredulous. Hero shook her head. “Here, kiss my neck. Then take a drink.” She pulled her hair back, and Hero laughed nervously as she gave Meg a chaste peck. Balthazar and Ursula laughed as Meg cheered and Hero took her obligatory drink. “Your turn!”

Hero smiled. “Okay, um, let’s see…Never Have I Ever…committed a crime.”

Once again, Balthazar took a swig, as did Meg and Ursula. Hero scoffed, just as Benedick sauntered in from the kitchen and staked out a patch of carpet between Ursula and Meg.

“Are you lot scandalizing poor Hero here?”

“They’re all criminals!” Hero cried.

“Are you now? What was it that you said?”

Meg cut in. “We’re playing Never Have I Ever, and Hero said she’s never committed a crime, but the rest of us have.”

“Oh, well then,” Benedick replied, taking a sip from his own cup.

“Really?” Hero laughed. “What did you all do?”

“Pot,” Balthazar said, in chorus with Ursula and Meg. The three of them began giggling madly.

“Oh, of course. I should have guessed,” Hero nodded, rolling her eyes. “You too, Ben?”

“Well, I was thinking of the time I swiped an L&P from the petrol station when I was eleven, but yes, I have done that too.”

“Yes! You have to drink twice for that,” Meg exclaimed, and Ben readily complied. “Okay Balthy, your turn!”

Balthazar took an extra sip as he pondered what to say. What could he use to incriminate Hero, who was so inexperienced?

“Never Have I Ever…had a sexy dream about someone in this room.” Meg happily drank again, as did Benedick, but Hero didn’t. “Aw, man! I thought I might have you there, Hero,” Balthazar said, smiling at her. He could feel the tequila going directly to his head, which was unsurprising since he had skipped lunch and only grazed on the party fare for a makeshift dinner.

“So is it my turn, then?” Ursula asked. Meg nodded emphatically. “Okay then. Never Have I Ever had a sexy dream about someone at this party.”

“Aw come on, that’s like a repeat of what Balthazar just said!” Meg complained as she and Ben took sips of their drinks. But Balthazar knew what Ursula was about as he shamefacedly slugged back some more of his drink as well.

“Oh ho ho!” Ben cried. “New information! I might have to go tell the blokes in the other room that Balthy’s been dreaming about one of them…”

“Hey now,” Meg said, grabbing Ben’s shoulder. “Part of the rules here are that nothing goes beyond this room. Pedro, Tony, and Claudio had their chance to join us, but they didn’t want to play. If they’re not going to tell us anything, they don’t get to know what we know.” She winked at Balthazar, who felt his face growing hot.

“Seems fair,” Benedick conceded. “Okay, my turn! Never Have I Ever…run headlong into a sliding glass door in front of all my friends!”

Balthazar knit his eyebrows in confusion. He couldn’t figure out why Ben had picked such a random thing to say, until he saw Hero hiding her face. “How did you know about that?” she asked, taking a modest sip of her drink.

“Bea told me a while ago, and that’s not the kind of mental image I’m likely to forget,” he said, toasting her cup with his.

“Okay, you nerds,” Meg declared, “this is taking way too long to get interesting. As leader of this game, I’m ordering everyone to finish their drink right now and then we’ll top things up to start the next round. Ready? Go!”

Balthazar obeyed, savoring the tangy mixture as much as possible as he chugged the rest. It was only once he’d finished that he realized that no one but he and Meg had any intention of finishing their drink. Ursula still had half a beer left, and Hero and Ben still held heavy cups.

Meg noticed at the same time he did. “Ugh, you guys are no fun! Come on, Balthy, let’s toast to being the most fun people in the room!” She clacked her plastic cup against his, then grabbed his cup and staggered to her feet. “One more of Meg’s Special Potion of Fun, coming up for the only other fun person here!”

Balthazar laughed, relaxing into the pleasant buzz of the alcohol. He could tell this was going to be a fun night.


End file.
